Calgary's exotic pet scene ‘growing exponentially,’ hobbyists say

A house filled with snakes and spiders might be straight out of many people's nightmares, but to longtime exotic pet keeper Nolan Asplund, they’re like family.

“Exotic animals, and animals as a whole, have taken up my entire life,” said Asplund, who has more than 70 reptiles, amphibians and arachnids in his care.

The 17-year-old aspiring zoologist operates Funky Fresh Reptiles, an exotic pet business headquartered in his parents’ house in the Calgary bedroom community of Okotoks.

He’s got everything from leopard geckos and Santa Isabel poison dart frogs to a Brazilian rainbow boa and ball python — not to mention Asian forest scorpions, a camel spider and more than a dozen tarantulas. 

He’s far from the only reptile fanatic in the area: Alberta’s exotic pet community — particularly in Calgary and surrounding area — has been “growing exponentially” in recent years, Asplund said.

Calgary has cemented itself as one of Canada’s exotic pet hot spots, with the city being home to major events like the Western Canadian Reptile Expo and Calgary Reptile Expo, both of which bring in thousands of attendees.

Cody Faulds, president of the Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society, said the city’s exotic pet community has been “growing steadily." Attendance at the group’s events, including the Calgary Reptile Expo, has been increasing, and more people are reaching out for information on keeping exotic pets.

Faulds — who owns multiple reptiles, including three box turtles and four snakes — attributes the hobby’s increasing popularity to multiple factors.

“It's getting easier and easier to get into,” he said.

Faulds said the exotic pet hobby has come a long way since the Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society began in 1984.

“Forty years ago, you basically pulled an animal from the wild, and nobody had any idea how to make the animal healthy and happy living in captivity,” Faulds said. “Now there's more people, more breeders sharing that information.”

More pet stores are stocking a greater variety of exotic pets, and more landlords are allowing them to be kept on the premises, Faulds said.

“I'm very happy and hopeful that the trend keeps increasing,” Faulds said. “More people see this as not a scary, dangerous animal, and more of something that you can have in your family.”

Organizations like the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association have voiced opposition to the keeping of many exotic animals as pets.